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Garret Dillahunt, Michelle Hurd and Henry Ian Cusick Team for Psychedelic Amazon Thriller ‘Bloodwood,’ Essential Launching in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)

By Alex Ritman

Garret Dillahunt (“No Country for Old Men”), Michelle Hurd (“Star Trek: Picard”) and Henry Ian Cusick (“Lost”) are set to lead upcoming psychological thriller “Bloodwood.”

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Robert Menzies, who also wrote the original screenplay based on his novel. Essential Film Group is handling worldwide sales.

“Bloodwood” follows Jake (Dillahunt), a man running from his past who journeys deep into the Amazon to hunt Vargas (Cusick), a trafficker responsible for the death of his wife. What begins as a calculated mission becomes a spiraling odyssey upriver alongside Ryan (Hurd), a guarded wildlife veterinarian with a past of her own. As the jungle fractures memory, time, and perception, Jake is pulled into a hallucinatory confrontation with the choices that led him here — and the woman he left behind.

Rounding out the cast are Johnny Sanchez, Hada Vanessa Hutchinson, and Joseph Jaquinto.

“Bloodwood” is supported by the Ayahuasca Foundation and Camino Verde, and was developed with guidance informed by Shipibo traditions of the Amazon rainforest, with an emphasis on cultural respect and authenticity.

Menzies previously produced the directorial debuts of Osgood Perkins (“Longlegs”) with The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Jon Watts (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”) with Clown.

“I’m excited to make my own directorial debut with ‘Bloodwood,’” said Menzies. “As I wrote it, I envisioned a modern ‘Heart of Darkness’ — a descent driven by a propulsive revenge story but ultimately rooted in spiritual reckoning. It asks a question older than sin: when a man goes into the wilderness hunting a monster, which one is supposed to come back?”

“Bloodwood” is produced by Menzies (“Fatman,” “House at the End of the Street”), Anjul Nigam (“Crown Vic,” “Growing Up Smith”), Jordan Gianneschi and Jacob Rice for their J2 Productions, Carmelo Chimera (“Unarmed”) in association with Act One Media, and Lisanne Marks Canty (“Maserati: The Brothers”) from Harrington Legacy Media. Executive producers include James Norrie, Syed Ali Saeed, Sanchez, Brian Landever, and Jaquinto.

Dillahunt is represented by Independent Artist Group (IAG) and D2 Management. Hurd is repped by IAG and TMT Entertainment. Cusick is a client of Buchwald and Luber Roklin Entertainment.

Variety Excusive/Bloodwood